Applying Community Based Participatory Research on sexual health & sexual violence with refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants in Europe and the European Neighbourhood

Abstract

Abstract Background Refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants are at risk of sexual violence (SV). SV can induce ill-health in the victims, their offspring and community. However, prevention and response actions are leaping behind and rarely tap on the agency of the migrants themselves. Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) is a collaborative research approach in public health that focuses on inequalities and aims to improve the health and well-being of community members by integrating knowledge in action, including personal, social and policy change. Methods Building on the concept of Desirable Prevention from a human-rights and gender-sensitive perspective, in three consecutive projects we applied CBPR to study SV and sexual health (SH) and collegiately developed SV prevention and response tools for personal, social and policy change. Results Each of the three CBPR projects was steered by local Community Advisory Boards composing of key stakeholders. With 1001 Community Researchers being refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants and asylum reception professionals themselves we collegiately conducted the mixed-method research and co-created the tools that were validated at largely attended public seminars and implemented widely. While the projects clearly resulted in social and policy change, several professional researchers personally struggled with the principle of co-learning and co-creation while migrants struggled with the regained respect and identity that fell away beyond project scopes and in between project resulting in poor mental health in some. Conclusions Applying CBPR with refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants on sensitive topics as SV and SH is a valuable research approach. Yet, the CBPR principles of cyclical participatory processes and the commitment to sustainability might clash with the current funding and timing of EU research projects challenging participants’ mental health and researchers’ ethics.